Pâté Forestier au Genièvre

On a recent trip to Napa Valley my wife and I sampled some great champagne and nibbled on some of the countries most celebrated Charcuterie. I commented to her that I could make it at home and promised to do it when we returned home from our trip.

She absolutely loves the taste of truffles (who doesn't) so I decided that Pâté Forestier au Genièvre would be a good one to make for her. The keys to making a great Pâté starts with the quality of the ingredients, patience, and diligence of the person making it to follow a few simple rules.

Rule #1 - Cut your meat up into chunks, salt it lightly, and partially freeze it before grinding it. If you do this you will come out with a much better texture.

Rule #2 - Toast your spices in a pan and grind them fresh. If you do this the aromatic flavors will just pop in any recipe that you do.

Rule #3 - Make the mix a day ahead and let the flavors develop before assembling and cooking.

Rule #4 - Fry up a dab of the mix the next day and give it a taste to test your seasonings. If it doesn't taste right adjust the seasonings.

Rule #5 - Use a meat thermometer to make sure that you finish at around 160 degrees. You want to make sure that the Pâté is smooth and doesn't crumble. If the temperature is too high all the fat will leave and you will end up with a dry and crumbly terrine.

All the course ground Pâté I make has the same base recipe. The difference between most of them is simply the garnish or what I like to call the money shot. This is where you really get a chance to shine and make things stand out.

Pâté Forestier au Genièvre 

"Course Ground Meats"

1 lb 2 oz Pork Belly
1/4 lb Ground Pork
1/4 lb Ground Veal
1/8 lb Ground Pancetta 

"The Wrapper"

12 slices Prosciutto

"The Binder"

2 Diced Shallots
6 Fresh Garlic Cloves
1/2 cup Diced Onion
1/4 cup Cognac
4 Chicken Livers
2 tbsp Port
1/4 Cup heavy cream
1 Egg 

"The Spices"

1 tsp Ground Cloves
1 tbsp Juniper Berries
1 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Coriander Seed
1/2 Stick Cinnamon Bark

1 tbsp Course Ground Pepper
2 tbsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Pink Salt 

"The Money Shot"

Truffle Salt
Mushrooms
Truffle Oil
1/2 cup toasted Walnuts
1 Tbsp Sherry

Cut the meat into chunks and partially freeze. Once meat is around 70% frozen grind it using the course blade.

Marinate chicken livers in cognac a minimum of three hours then combine in food processor with the garlic, shallots, onion, port, cream and egg to form the binder.

Toast Black Pepper, Juniper Berries, Coriander, Cinnamon Bark, and Cloves. Grind them fresh and combine with the Ginger, Nutmeg, Thyme, Salt, and Pink Salt to make the Pâté spice blend.

Combine the ground meat, binder, spices and blend together in a non reactive container. Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend together

(I like making a dozen small individual terrines every time I make up a batch of this. We eat a couple and them vacuum pack and freeze the rest. It is great to have something homemade and elegant like that in your freezer that you can thaw out quickly and serve to guests.)

The next day you want to toast up half a cup of walnuts in a pan and then chop them up.

Next you saute your mushrooms with a little olive oil. Finish with sherry and truffle salt. Once the mixture cools add truffle oil to build the flavor. Mix mushrooms and walnuts with the forcemeats.

Line twelve mini loaf pans with plastic cling wrap. Drape the slice prosciutto lengthwise in each pan. Fill each pan with the mixture and wrap up with the prosciutto.

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Place the loaf pans in a roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with boiling water until it reach half way up (water-bath) the mini loaf pans. Cover the roasting pan with foil and cook until the Pate reaches 135 degrees. At that point take off the foil and cook until it reaches a temperature of 160 degrees which allows the prosciutto to crisp up a bit.

Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature. Take them out of the molds and remove any excess fat. Wrap tightly in cling wrap and refrigerate overnight while weighted down.

Spicy Chicken Fried Steak

Chicken Fried Steak isn't the most diet friendly menu item on the planet. I like it every once in awhile because it is very tasty, inexpensive, and fairly easy to make. I dress it up big time with country sausage gravy, biscuits, and smashed potatoes on the side. Sometimes I add a couple of Chipolte peppers with Adobo sauce to the gravy when I want to take it up a notch.

Spicy Chicken Fried Steak

3 pounds Cube Steak
1-1/2 cup Milk for the egg wash 
2 Cups Milk for the Gravy
2 Eggs
2 cups Flour
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Canola Oil
Cajun Seasoning
One tube of Bob Evans Hot Sausage
Chipolte pepper with Adobo sauce (Optional)
As much black pepper as you can stand
Salt

Start off by seasoning the cube steak with salt and a lot of black pepper. Let it rest for an hour or so. Combine flour, panko, bread crumbs, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper to make the breading.

Make your egg wash by whisking together two eggs and milk. Dip one piece of meat in the egg wash and then give it a dip in the flour/panko/bread crumb mixture followed by another dip in the egg wash followed by a final dip in the flour/panko/bread crumb mixture. Repeat the procedure until all the meat is breaded.

Heat up a skillet and fry up the sausage and set aside when finished reserving the oil to fry the steak in. Add Canola oil to sausage drippings and bring up to approximately 375 degrees. Fry the steak while trying not to overcrowd the pan. Drain the excess oil from them when finished by placing the steaks on paper towels


Now it is time to make your gravy.  Add 1/4 cup grease back to the pan. Allow grease to heat up.
Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix flour with grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Keep cooking until it reaches a deep golden brown color.

Whisking constantly, pour in milk. Cook to thicken the gravy. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Add sausage, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick.

Throw the steaks on a plate, smother the steaks and potatoes with country gravy, and have a decadent chow down.

Making Beef Jerky

Beef Jerky is really easy to make if you have a smoker or food dehydrator. I have been recently experimenting with it lately and have been pretty pleased with the results.

Top Round Beef Jerky

5 lbs - thinly sliced top round
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons fine ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated onion or onion powder
2 teaspoons granulated or powdered garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 level teaspoon pink salt
1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar

Partially freeze the meat and thinly slice against the grain at approximately 1/4" thick. I use a meat slicer because that keeps everything uniform so it dries evenly in the dehydrator. Mix marinade and marinate/cure for at least 12 hours.

Dehydrate at 160 degree's until it is dry but not brittle. Drying time varies due to thickness of the meat, humidity in the air, and the type of dehydrator you are using. Once it has cooled you can either vacuum seal it or store it in a zip lock in the fridge.

The Best Hangtown Fry

The Hangtown Fry originated in the gold fields of California back in the 1850's. Legend has it that a miner struck it rich and went into a restaurant in Placerville, Ca and asked for the most expensive meal that they could make. The combination of fried oysters, eggs, bacon and cream was what they were able to come up with.

Our version isn't the original but I think you are going to like it a lot better even though you have to go through a couple of extra steps to assemble what is basically a frittata. We layer this dish in a way that doesn't allow any of the ingredients to overwhelm each other.

One pint extra small shucked oysters
1/2 lb of diced bacon
2 cups sliced mushroom
1 cup diced fried potato
1 cup diced onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 cups fresh spinach
6 eggs
Tabasco
1/4 cup  whole cream
Nutmeg

1/4 cup butter

Oyster Breading

Buttermilk
Flour
Panko Bread Crumbs
Cornmeal
Salt and Pepper to taste

Soak the oysters overnight in buttermilk.

Preheat oven broiler to high.

Fry the bacon in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat until almost crisp. Remove the bacon and fry the potatoes until crisp with the onions and set aside with  the bacon. Dredge the oysters in a mixture of flour, panko, and corn meal and deep fry for 90 seconds and set aside.

Add the potatoes, onions, spinach, mushrooms, garlic to a hot pan. Saute for a few minutes in hot butter then whisk in the eggs, cream, tabasco, and nutmeg. Fold into the pan while stirring at medium heat in the same you would make an omelet.

Broil in oven until eggs are set than take out and top with fried oysters, bacon, and Parmesan cheese. Place the frittata back under the broiler to finish cooking.

Divide into 4 portions and serve hot.

Langostino's in Taso Cream Sauce over Fried Polenta

We recently have had access to some nicely priced large bags of cooked and frozen Langostino's at our local Costco. Langostino's are tasty little slipper lobsters that are excellent in stews, soups, and pasta dishes. If you don't have access to langostino's just substitute some shrimp or scallops.

This is a great dish that has multiple levels of flavors and texture that is really easy to make. If you serve this at a dinner party people are going to really freak out because this is really good and it looks really pretty on the plate.

Fresh Polenta is something I really love to eat. There are just so many ways you can go with it. In this dish we keep it pretty basic but add some texture and color with the sun dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and garlic.

Langostino's in Taso Cream Sauce

1 lb langostino's
2 finely diced red peppers
1 small finely diced onion
2 stalks finely diced celery
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 oz finely diced Taso Ham
1/4 cup butter
1 cup whole cream
Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
Cajun seasoning (to taste)

Dice celery, onions, peppers finely using a food processor. Melt butter in sauce pan and saute taso ham, crushed garlic, diced celery, onions, and red peppers until the onions are translucent. Add the Cajun seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Add cream and bring to temperature without boiling and add the langostino's.

Serve over homemade fried polenta....see below.

Fried Polenta

1 cup yellow corn meal
4 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 oz parmesan cheese
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp finely diced sun dried tomato
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Bring four cups of water to a boil and then slowly add one cup of corn meal slowly to the water while stirring constantly for the next 15 minutes to make sure that there are no lumps and that the corn mush reaches the right consistency.

At the end of the fifteen minutes stir the butter into the mush followed by the Parmesan, sun dried tomato's and caramelized onions which were prepared earlier. Mix it up and pout it into a pan that was treated with cooking spray so nothing sticks to it and refrigerate for around an hour until firm.

Cut the Polenta into squares and fry until crispy in olive oil.

Cioppino

Cioppino originated in San Francisco's traditionally Italian North Beach neighborhood.

Local legend suggests that the name of the seafood stew originated from the custom of "chipping in" ingredients into a boiling pot after a day out on the bay fishing to create a communal meal.

Cioppino is a real simple dish that anyone can make. The freshness of the seafood and the layering of the flavors in the broth are two key elements to pay attention to.

In this recipe I use clam juice as a substitute for fish stock. Either works fine in the dish. I just happen to have a lot of clam juice on hand at all times because we are such clam chowder fiends. How you actually finish this stew with the fresh seafood without overcooking it is a trick that is easily mastered which I will share with you below.

52 oz clam juice or fish stock
16 oz diced San Marzano plum tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup red wine
4 finely diced red and yellow sweet peppers
1 bunch diced celery
1 finely diced onion
2 oz chopped garlic
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp Italian spice
1 tbsp basil
Tabasco (to taste)
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp Olive oil

16 Steamer Clams
1/2 lb Bay Scallops
1/2 lb Langostinos
2 - 2 lb Dungeness Crabs
8 - U-15 prawns
16 Mussels

(Keep in mind that all the seafood ingredients can vary due to availability)

Finely dice the garlic, onion, celery, and red peppers in a food processor. Heat the olive oil in your pan and cook the vegetables until the onions become translucent. Add bay leaves, basil, italian spice, salt, and pepper to taste. Add the clam juice or fish stock. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and red wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for two hours which will allow the flavors to meld together

Once you are ready to serve add the mussels and clams to the broth and bring it to a boil. Continue boiling until the shells open. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and add the Langostino's and Prawns (make sure they are thawed). Cook them for approximately three minutes.

Prepare your eight serving bowls by dividing up the raw scallops and putting them into the bottom of the bowls.  Poor the steaming broth from the stew over the scallops and artistically divide the cooked seafood among the eight bowls. Scallops don't need a lot of heat or time so this insures that you and your guests are going to be eating perfectly cooked scallops.

Divide/cut your (cooked and cleaned) Dungeness crab into eight sections and hang it over the edge of the bowls with the legs sticking out and serve. The crab doesn't need much heat because it already cooked. Resist the temptation to dump it directly in the stew while cooking the mussels and clams. If you like it warm simply dip into the sauce as you eat it.

I like serving this with San Francisco sourdough garlic-butter toast points on the side.

Serves Eight

The Original Joe's Special

Joe's Special, Ukranian Joe's, Italian Joe's, Mexican Joe's, Portuguese Joe's, are all egg dishes that had their start in San Francisco back in the Gold Rush days. They are all a simple combination of eggs, butter, cream, cheese, and whatever type of tasty protein you happen to have around.

They are quick and simple to make which has made them a star attraction at places like Original Joe's in San Francisco and 13 Coins in Seattle where I worked in the kitchen on weekends thirty-five years ago during high school.  

The Original Joe's Special 

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lean ground sir loin
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound fresh spinach
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Olive oil

Heat the olive oil and add the crumbled ground sirloin, chopped onions, and minced garlic. Cook until the beef is almost browned and the onions and garlic are tender. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they soften. Stir in spinach. Cook the mixture until just heated throughout. Add the beaten eggs and cook, stirring, until the eggs are firm but still tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmessan cheese.

Ukranian Joe's

Serve garnished with sour cream on top after cooking

Italian Joe's

Substitute Italian sausage for ground beef


Mexican Joe's

Substitute chorizo sausage for ground beef
Substitute Mexican oregano for italian spices
Substitute Mexican cheeses for Parmesan
Substite cilantro for spinach


Portuguese Joe's

Substitute linguisa sausage for ground beef

Farmer Joe's

Substitute country sausage for ground beef
Add fried bacon
Add fried red potato